‘I just want to win everything I do’

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

Take a pair of Adams County Cup championships. A Southern Hills Athletic Conference championship. A sophomore year trip to the Division III State Golf Tournament. A sectional championship. A district championship. Add in a team that has won two consecutive County Cups and two consecutive SHAC titles and what do you get? North Adams senior Breestin Schweickart.

Entering his final year with the Green Devils, Schweickart has his sights set high and will be looking on August 7 at Hilltop to make himself a three-time champion of the Adams County Cup. Getting a late start in his freshman year, Schweickart is now a three-year varsity starter for the North Adams golf squad, after getting hooked on golf thanks to a former NAHS standout on the links.

“When I was freshman, T.J. Holt played golf for North Adams and he took me out one time and I loved it and was decent at it so I just kept practicing and practicing and I got pretty good,” said Schweickart. “I just started playing all day every day and I loved it. My sophomore year our second match was the County Cup and I ended up winning it which gave me confidence for the rest of that season. Ever since then I just stuck with it and get better at the game. My Dad had taken me golfing when I was younger but I never cared for it, I just loved basketball more. He tried to get me started when I was like five but after T.J took me and I liked it now me and my Dad play together all the time and it’s fun.”

North Adams faithful also know that Schweickart is an exceptional athlete on the hardwood, earning numerous postseason honors while helping to lead the Green Devils to back-to-back Division III district basketball titles.

“I think the work ethic carries over from basketball to golf,” Schweickart said. “Whenever there is a loose ball or anything like that, I’m going after it hard because the thing is, I just want to win everything I do. I don’t care how it happens, all I cane about is winning. Mental toughness is a big part of what I do.”

When Schweickart hits the course this fall, you can count on his focus and intensity and understanding that the game isn’t always easy.

“I just try to take it one shot, one hole at a time,” he explains. “If you make a birdie, you make a birdie, If you double bogey, you just move on. You can’t worry about the last hole, you have to have a short memory.”

“Winning the County Cup again this year is my first goal and I’d like to win the SHAC again and take the team to state again. Winning the league last year was really good for me, it kind of helped me figure out where I was. Going to the district and getting third overall showed me that I could compete with golfers in the entire district.”

How does one high school athlete perfect his game in the summer? Simple- he’s on the course every day.

“If I’m not here at Hilltop, I’m on another course somewhere,” Schweickart says. “I’ve done some tournaments, but only one this summer in Indiana that was ruined by a downpour. The tournaments are good with the atmosphere and you can compete against better players. I play at Laurel Oaks in Maysville every Thursday and if I’m not playing a full round, I’m out working on my chipping and putting.”

As the defending champions, the battle-tested Green Devils will be favored again in the SHAC, though the competition will always be challenging. Schweickart will obviously golf as the #1 man, followed up by fellow seniors Connor Young and Caleb DeAtley and junior Christopher Hall. Also battling for spots in the rotation and a very important #5 man spot will be Carsyn Raines, Cash Hupp and newcomer to the team Allen Wilson.”

The Green Devils will also be under the guidance of a new head coach this fall as former West Union golfer Corey Richmond replaces Jamie Hall. Richmond hasn’t been on the course much yet with his team but is already impressed with his #1 man.

“Breestin is at the golf course 24/7 and as a coach you love to see a player that wants to play and continue to craft his game,” said Coach Richmond. “Breestin is a solid all-around player that will be a big part in our success for the upcoming season. He is very consistent with all aspects of his game, with his short game being the area in which he stands out. Short game to me is the most important part of the game and is where the majority of your shots will come from. Once Breestin gets around the green he knows how to get the ball up and down which will make him a dominant player for the upcoming season. I look for him to be the leader of this group as we have a solid group of kids that have big aspirations for this fall.”

The North Adams standout has aspirations to continue his golf career after high school but isn’t really sure where that might lead him.

“I just don’t know where or how far I want to go with this,” Schweickart explained. “I still have time to figure it all out, I just want to focus on this year first.”

(Update: Breestin got his 2024 golf season off to a great start on Monday, August 5, shooting even par to win the individual title at the Chillicothe Jaycees Invitational.)